Many businesses and other types of organizations have a number of computers that are used by employees. These computers are often interconnected to form a computer network. One or more system administrators may be responsible for managing the organization's computers. A system administrator's responsibilities typically include installing and configuring new hardware and software, assigning user accounts and passwords, establishing security access levels, performing backups, troubleshooting reported problems, and so forth. In larger organizations, some of these tasks may be divided between different system administrators. A computer system that is used by a system administrator is commonly referred to as an administrative system. The computers (or other electronic devices) that a system administrator manages may be referred to as managed nodes (or clients).
Systems management software may be used to provide system administrators with the ability to remotely perform management operations on managed nodes. This remote management capability can save system administrators a significant amount of time because they are able to perform management operations on a managed node without the need to physically visit the managed node. An example of systems management software that is used by various organizations is the LANDesk® Management Suite. Systems management software enables a system administrator who is working at an administrative system to send management-related requests to managed nodes, which process and fulfill the requests.
If a system administrator desires to manage managed nodes on site, most systems management software requires the system administrator to provide credentials to indicate whether or not the system administrator has the necessary administrative rights to perform management operations on managed nodes. The credentials may then be authenticated to verify the administrative rights associated with the system administrator's credentials.
Unfortunately, authentication tools may be less effective when only basic authentication is used. When ineffective or less effective authentication occurs, the security of the managed node may be breached and administrators without the necessary administrative rights may be allowed to perform management operations on the managed node.
System administrators are under a tremendous amount of pressure to perform their duties in an efficient and productive manner and to ensure that only administrators with the appropriate authorization are performing management operations on the managed nodes. Accordingly, benefits may be realized by improved systems and methods for authenticating the credentials associated with a system administrator for management of a client.